Friday, August 11, 2006

The good people of Wells! Randy's Stash! Yoko Ono Rules!! Edgar Broughton, Fela, Popol Vuh!! Poetry?! That's Enough!!

ArtsWells 2006!!!
Back from my Holiday in the Sun...in the new Belsen!!!

Actually the funky little town of Wells, BC
for their 3rd Annual ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art.

It was a relaxing time for Harvey Dog, the Guru and the Bah.


The Town: I've never really been to a town quite like this. It's a town full of artists, freaks and a few others (total pop: 500). The area is gorgeous and is perfect to rejuvenate broken down, tired depressed people. Check it out: Wells BC

The Music: We didn't see as much music as we originally planned, but that's ok...The music we did see was all good...relaxation was the order of the trip!

Here's who we saw:
The Buttless Chaps: Enjoyed them live, and when they did their 80s schtick (cheesy..ie. Duran Duran) it worked fine, but listening to Love This Time (2003) when we got back home, I found that the 80s schtick broke the momentum of the album. I mean...if you're going to do 80s music you have to be coked out, and these guys don't seem coked out at all! Overall: fun band.

Kia Kadiri: very popular with the crowd and she had tons of energy and seemed to enjoy herself. Overall: Good.

OK Cobra: We only got one (of two) OK Cobra, but I liked him. He worked his ass off and seemed to mean every word. I thought it started ok, got really strong and enjoyable, then tapered off at the end. Overall: Very Good.

Ken Hamm: This man can play the guitar and he sounded great. I'd like to check him out with better sound than you get in a Community Hall! Overall: Worth investigating.
***

My friend Randy went incredibly insane and sent me a massive amount of music from his collection.

I am FREAKING OUT!!!

And Vaspers always recommends brilliant music and videos, as well as creating incredible music himself...
And Steve (another music fanatic) is always feeding my rock and prog desires...

And Mole is sending me a package from Hamilton that sounds...intriguing.

good friends...good music...good times

***

Impressions of Randy's Stash

Where to begin? So much music....How about what I'm listening to right now as I'm typing this?
Paul McCartney is an idiot!!
Yoko Ono: Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band (1970)
This is absolutely brilliant. Stunning. I guess it was outrageous in it's day for conservative Beatle lovers, but today it sounds vital, experimental, engrossing...
"Paper Shoes" is freaking me out...should I be listening to this at work?
Should I be doing my blog at work?
Should I get back to my VS2005 copy function project? OK...but LISTEN to this one!
Wait...is Yoko screaming: "Alfred!!! Alfred!!!!" in "Open Your Box"? Who's Alfred? The butler? Her man-servant? Paul McCartney? Alfred E. Newman?
[aside: This album just finished up, and it appears to me that Yoko was the TRUE innovator of The Beatles! Forget Lennon/McCartney let's hear it for Yoko!!!]

Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (2005)
Randy and I were extremely stoked when we first heard about this 6 cd box. We're both huge Miles fans of his late 60s early 70s electric period. Incredible fucking music!

Soul Jazz collections
The Soul Jazz compilations are a great way to discover obscure, underrated artists from the past. Always interesting.

Fela Kuti: Expensive Shit (1975) / He Miss Road (1975)
I love this! The groove is happening and entices you in...immediately! Then Fela and company bitch about expensive shit that smells. Now who can't relate to expensive smelly shit!?
The politics are great as well. I mean, you can go on and on about why Bush and all these other world leaders (using the term "leader" very loosely) are demonic and seemingly bent on the destruction of our world and its people...
BUT, Fela sums it all up by saying: "He Miss Road". How fucking true!

Summary: Happy to be introduced to Fela's world.

Edgar Broughton Band: Out Demons Out - Best Of 1969-1972 (2001)
Gotta love the freaks...and STILL going strong. Loads of fun...
"There's No Vibrations But Wait" is insane.
Actually, there's tons of good old freaky insanity going on.

Popol Vuh: Affenstunde (1970)
OK...I had heard of these guys and desperately wanted to hear them.
Finally!
This is beautiful music that takes one into
different atmospheres
walking on planets
reminding me a bit of Eno's Apollo (1983) album which I always thought was brilliant.
***

scattered
and strewn
amongst my pile
of music
Edgar Broughton shows us how it's done!!!!
refreshing the mind
constantly revolving
like old lps
on a dusty turntable

solid...true...
reliable
like life
and death...

drowning in the
v a s t n e s s
of humanity
called music

music is life
music is death
music is everything
and

all is music
***

The Guru and I are hooking up a second computer at home...
will this lead to more posts?????

Just warning ya!
[aside: I didn't use any of the post I mentioned...last post! Once you get started...]
***

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